Apparatus for curing tobacco.



No. 696,677. v Patented Apr. I, I902- G. F. HILLMAN. APPARATUS FOR CURING TUBACCU.

(Application filed Nov. 11, 1901.

(No Model.)

wigkwix? Mrs Sterne ATENT trier,

GEORGE E. HILLMAN, OF FLORENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR CURING TOBACCO.

@PECEFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,677, dated April 1,1902. Application filed November 11,1901. Serial No. 81,796. (No model.)

To alt whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. HILLMAN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Florence, in the countyof Hampshire and State of Massach usetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for (luring Tobacco, of which the followingis afu1l,clear,and exact description.

This invention relates to apparatus for curing tobacco in barns or sheds.

.The object of the apparatus is to insure an equalization in the quality of the atmosphere within the shed, overcoming the extreme humidity at some times and rectifying excessive dryness at other times, and, furthermore, assuring a thorough circulation of the air within the shed, and the apparatus, moreover, is designed for the utilization of material portions thereof for interchangeable and successive use in conjunction with the intake-pipes and distributors of more than one shed, so that at comparatively small expense for duplicated parts the portable portion of the ap-' paratus may be utilized in conjunction with the air-conduits of the several sheds as occasion may require.

The apparatus consists in combinations of instrumentalities, substantially as hereinafter described and explained, and set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings.

In Figure 1 my improved apparatus is illustrated in side elevation, some portions being broken away and shown in section for clearer illustration. Fig. 2 shows a feature of construction in detail to be hereinafter referred to.

In the drawings, A represents the tobaccoshed, having an opening a through its side at any suitable height, in which is fitted one end of a horizontal pipe B, supported within the shed, and which has an upwardly-opening bend 13 which is surmounted by a hood 0, which extends outwardly beyond the diameter of the said pipe-bend and is provided with the concentric depending conical portion (1 which extends downwardly more or less far, according to the adjustment of the hood within the opening in the bond. The said upwardly-directed bend of the pipe is provided with externally-located staples or eyes Z), and the hood has the depending metallic straps d,

in which are elongated eyes d adapted to engage over the staples, and the parts thus adjustably connected may be confinedby pins or keys d which engage through the eyes in tioned pipe B which is fitted through the opening in the side of the shed. This pipe-section has therein the aperturesff' and has mounted therewithina blower I-I, provided with an opcrating-pulley H also inclosed within the pipe, and said blower is arranged so that its blades force the air coming thereto from the hot-air chamber of the furnace forwardly through the pipe-sections G and B and upwardly through the bend B for impingement against the depending conical portion of the hood and against the outwardly-spreading portion of the hood for wide distribution within and throughout the chamber in the shed. The pipe-section B may have extension with further bends and hoods beyond the first one, as manifestly expedient in a long or wide shed.

Mounted upon the truck-platform is a motor of any appropriate description such, for instance, as a gas-engine J, for which, as here shown, J 2 represents on the truck an adjacent liquid or fluid fuel receptacle, and the said engine is provided with two pulleys g and g and a belt is shown as running around the motor-pulley g and through the aforementioned apertures in the pipe-section G to running engagement around the inclosed blowerpulley for the driving of the blower by the motor.

K represents an apparatus mounted on the truck, the object of which is to receive therewithin the atmospheric air previous to the passage of the same to the air-chamber of the.

furnace and condensing and extracting from the air the moisture therein, and this apparatus, as shown, consists of a tank or receptacle for ice or other refrigerant having therewithin a series of fines 7c, the lower ends of which are open to the atmospheric air for the ingress of the latter therethrough, and said tines have connection in common with the pipe L, which leads from the top of the condensing apparatus to the hot-air chamber of the furnace. This apparatus may be used when the conditions render its use advantageous for materially lowering the humidity of the air which passes to the chamber in the furnace.

The shed is constructed with another opening through an upper portion of its side wall, Within which is mounted an outwardly-forcing blower M, having an externallydocated operating-pulley M around which runs the belt m, which also has a running engagement around the second pulley of the motor.

The modes of utilization of this apparatus are various and require but brief mention. When the weather is comparatively damp, the condensing apparatus is rendered available by the employment of the refrigerant therein. When less damp,the refrigerant may be omitted or the damper in the conduit between the condensing apparatus and the furnace may be closed. It the airis excessively dry and it is desirable to render the air intro duced into the shed slightly moist, water may be placed in the receptacle n, which is located in the hot-air chamber, the steam from which will commingle with the air introduced into the shed. If too great circulation is not desired within the shed, the belt for running the upper blower may be thrown off, and after the proper atmospheric conditions have been established in the one shed on the plantation so much of the apparatus as is mounted on the truck may be hauled for cgaction with the inwardly-extending and hood-provided pipe-section and with the outwardlyfcflrcing blower provided for another tobaccos ed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus for curing tobacco, the combination with a pipe having an upwardlydirected bend terminating within the tobaccoshed, and provided at said bend with a hood extended outwardly beyond the diameter of the pipe, and having an inverted cone dependent into the opening in the pipe, of a furnace having a hot-air chamber connected with said pipe, a blower in said pipe between the hot-air chamber and the pipe-terminal, and means for operating the blower.

2. In an apparatus for curing tobacco, the combination with a pipe having an upwardlydirected bend terminating within the tobaccoshed, and provided at said upwardly-directed bend with a hood extended outwardly beyond the diameter of the pipe, and having an inverted-cone-shaped portion dependent into the opening in the pipe, and vertically adjustable, of a furnace having a hot-air chamber connected with said pipe, a blower in said pipe between the hot-air chamber and the pipe-terminal, and means for operating the blower. V r

3. In an apparatus for curing tobacco, the combination with a pipe having an upwardlydirected bend terminating within the tobaccoshed, provided with a series of externally-located staples and provided with a hood extended outwardly beyond the diameter of the pipe having an inverted-cone-shaped portion dependent into the opening in the pipe, and

provided with a series of elongated eyes adapted for detachable engagements over said pipe-supported staples, of a furnace having a hot-air chamber connected to said pipe, a

blower in said pipe between the hot-air chamber and pipe-terminal, and means for operating the blower.

4.- In an apparatus for curing tobacco, the combination with a pipe terminating within the tobacco-shed,and having a portion thereof fitted through the side of the shed, of a truck having thereon a furnace provided with a hotair chamber, a pipe leading from said'chamher and having detachable connection with the portion of the pipe fitted through the side of the shed, a blower in said pipe between the hot-air chamber and its place of detachable connection as aforesaid, and means for operating the blower.

5. In an apparatus for curing tobacco, the combination with a pipe terminating within the tobacco-shed,and havinga portion thereof fitted through the side of the shed, of a truck having thereon a furnace provided with a hot air chamber, a pipe supported by the truck leading from said chamber having a detachable connection with the portion of the pipe fitted through the side of the shed, and having an aperture through its side, a blower having a pulley located in said pipe between the hot-air chamber and its place of detachable connection as aforesaid, a motor on said truck having a pulley, and a belt running around the motor pulley and extending through the said pipe apertured to running engagement around said blower-pulley in the pipe, substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus for curing tobacco, the combination with a pipe terminating within the tobacco-shed, and having a portion thereof detachably fitted through the side of the shed, of a truck having an apparatus for condensing the moisture in the air and provided with an air-entrance leading thereinto, a furnace mounted on said truck having a hot-air chamber, an air-conduit leading from the con densing apparatus to said chamber, another conduit leading from said chamber and connected with the portion of the pipe terminating within the shed, a blower in the lastnamed conduit, and means for operating the blower.

7. The combination with a tobacco-shed havinga pipe terminating therewithin, and having a portion thereof fitted through the side of the shed, and a blower located in another opening in the side of the shed and provided with an externally-located operating-pulley, of a truck for employment outside the shed having mounted thereon a furnace having an air-chamber, a pipe supported by the truck connected with the air-chamber, and also having detachable connection with the portion of the pipe fitted through the side of the shed a blower located within the pipe between the air-chamber and its point of detachable connection, having a pulley, a motor mounted on the truck having two pulleys, and belts in running engagement around the motor-pulleys and respectively around the blower-pulleys, substantially as described.

8. An apparatus for curing tobacco, the corn{ bination with the tobacco-shed having therein a pipe provided with an upwardly-opening bend, having an outwardly-widened hood, which is provided with a conical portion depending within the opening in said pipe, and

which hood isvertically adjustable relatively to the pipe-bend, and said pipe having an end portion thereof fitted through an opening in the shed, and an outwardly-forcing blower located Within another opening in the side of the shed, having an externally-located operating-pulley, of a truck outside the shed, having mounted thereon an apparatus for condensing the moisture in the air having an airentrance opening thereinto, a furnace hav ing hot-ai rkchamber, an air-conduit leading from the condensing apparatus to said charnher, a pipe leading from the hot-air chamber to detachable connection with the portion of thepipe opening through the side of the shed, and having apertures therein, ablower having a pulley located in the last-named, pipe, a motor mounted on the truck'and' having pulleys and belts running therearou nd, one thereof extending through the aperturesin the pipe for runningengagernent around the inclosed blower-pulley, and the other belt having running engagement around the 'pul-s' ley of the outwardly-forcingblower, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

' Signed by me at Springfield, Massachusetts, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE F. HILLMAN.

Witnesses:

WM. S. BELLOWS, M. A. CAMPBELL. 

